THE Imo State Police Command, on Thursday, October 1, said security operatives rescued 10 prospective National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members and other passengers abducted by gunmen along the Owerri-Onitsha Road in Imo State, in a swift operation, following the incident.
The Command’s Public Relations Officer, Henry Okoye, in a statement, added: “The rescued victims are in safe hands and are being attended to.
“The exact number of persons abducted is being verified and will be made public once confirmed.”
The statement said the Command had deployed tactical teams and operational assets in a coordinated search-and-rescue operation, following the abduction of the corps members and other passengers, adding that two buses conveying the victims were attacked by suspected armed men about 6:30a.m., on Thursday, October 1, near Umunoha, while travelling from Ibadan, Oyo State, to NYSC orientation camps in the Southeast and South-South.
The Command explained that the buses were conveying corps members and other passengers from Ibadan to Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, and Bende, Abia State, respectively, when they came under attack, saying the Imo State Commissioner of Police (CP) Audu Bosso, alongside other service commanders, visited the scene for an on-the-spot assessment and to provide operational direction.
The Police said Bosso assured the public that the operation would continue until all victims were safely recovered and the suspects brought to justice.
The Police disclosed that the affected section of the Owerri-Onitsha Expressway has since been reopened to traffic, while security personnel remain deployed to protect commuters, even as the Command was working with the NYSC directorate to contact the families of affected corps members and keep them informed as the operation progresses.
It urged the public to remain calm and vigilant and provide credible information that could assist the rescue operation, assuring that all information will be treated in confidence.
The Police added that further updates would be issued as the situation progressed.
Recall that some weeks ago, security forces rescued 15 corps members and six others abducted in Kogi State in Egume Forest.
